An Organ Culture System for the Examination of Tumour Invasion

Abstract

FOR investigations of many of the processes involved in the invasion of normal tissues by malignant cells it is desirable to have an in vitro system where the interacting normal and tumour tissues maintain the 3-dimensional tissue structure which they possess in vivo. Wolff¹ has used with considerable success a system involving the organ culture of combinations of various tumours with embryonic chick mesonephros, where extensive growth of the tumours accompanies the invasion of the embryonic normal tissue. We wished to develop a system using adult or new-born mammalian organs where the fully differentiated architecture of the normal tissues could be maintained in contact with tumour tissue, with a minimum of cell division.